Fearing God from A to Z

Using the alphabet, let's take a closer look at what it means to Fear the Lord.      

A stands for ACTION. 

We pray for God's guidance, provision, and healing. As believers we know His input is imperative to our survival. When you live on earth, it's a good idea to keep in touch with heaven. Also we feel more spiritual when we ask God in 
faith to intervene in our impossible circumstances. But Scripture reveals a component we often overlook. 

The Lord wants our faith to be seen as well as heard. James calls us to show 
our faith by works, to believe Him with our hands and feet (James 2:14-20). When we read the Bible and pray, the Lord often speaks insight, understanding,
and encouragement to our spirits. He is a faithful Father, yet do we respond 
like the following example?  

The kings of Israel and Judah lead their army out to fight against Moab. But in the wilderness they faced two enemies: the uncertainty of battle and no water for them or their livestock. Needing guidance and a drink, they found Elisha the prophet and asked him what to do. He talked it over with God and gave them their spiritual orders:  

"Make this valley full of ditches" (2 Kings 3:16). 

To show their faith and fear of God, the kings and warriors were told to pull out shovels and start digging. That may not sound like a strategic war maneuver. 

It may not sound like the quickest way to quench your thirst. Still, Elisha, the prophet had a pretty good track record so they acted on his words.

That describes the fear of the Lord: To base our actions on God's Word. To fear Him includes doing what He tells us, to pick up our shovels and start digging.

The other day we brought home 10 little trees to plant. For the next hour, Ray and I were digging holes. Now I can look out my kitchen window and see five foot cedar trees growing along our property line. The blessings we pray for, like trees in our yards, often require some assembly. Our interactive action proves we believe in God's answer to our prayers. 

Early the next morning, God supernaturally filled all those ditches with water. Israel's army and livestock had plenty to drink. When the Moabites looked down on the valley, the Lord caused the sunshine reflecting on the water to look like blood. They thought Israel's army had self-destructed and swooped in to scavenge any thing of value. Surprise! Israel won the victory that day. 

God delights in sending us layers of miracles. So when He tells us something to do, I pray we can be quick to act on His Word. Who knows how many blessings will grow from it.    

  

             

Who Do You Fear?

Bob Dylan wrote a song in the late 70's that says, we all gotta serve somebody.

And though many think they're free to serve themselves, be their own lower-case god, life doesn't work that way. Okay, you say, but what does that have to do with fear?  

No matter how brave a person is, we all fear somebody too. We may fear people or the devil but we're all afraid to some degree. Some of us fear others so much, we can barely speak in public. Maybe you know the feeling: heart races, can't breath, thoughts jumble, face turns red, and you long for a side door to escape.

I grew up afraid to speak in front of people. That made for a few embarrassing moments in school. The memory of a particular 8th grade science report still stirs up uneasy feelings. In college, speech class was mandatory to earn a degree. Luckily, I found a class offered by an instructor who gave students a C just for showing up, even without giving a speech. I settled for the C. 

All kinds of fear exist in our world: fear of heights, water, darkness, closed 

in places, wide open spaces, certain eight-legged insects. But a few years ago, 

I discovered a fascinating fear that can help loosen the grip of all the others - the fear of God. I've often quoted Oswald Chambers who said, 

 "The remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God you fear 

   nothing else, whereas when you do not fear God, you fear everything else."  

I can't say from experience that the fear of God eliminates a fear of spiders, 

but it will definitely help cure our irrational reactions to other people. Still, this principle can be ambiguous. How exactly do we express our fear toward Him?

Over the next few weeks, I'll be writing short, and more frequent posts to help replace our questions with a better understanding of what it means to fear God. Using an A to Z format, we'll look at some fearful verbs that show how being afraid of the right One can be a good thing.   

A Time to Plant

We've enjoyed less rain and more walking weather on the Oregon Coast this spring.  On walks with Willa (our German/Australian shepherd), I love seeing the daffodils along our country road. Clusters circle trees, rows line driveways. Others grow by the roadside and in pastures, speaking the promise of spring.  

Curiously, not one of these amazing flowers bloom at my house. In fact, if you

walked past, as someone just did, you wouldn't see any reason to think daffodils are my favorite flower. Even so, I admire each one I see.  

So why haven't I planted any over the last decade? I've planted marigolds, pansies, nasturtiums, and petunias - none of which returned the next year. But why haven't I planted a few faithful daffodils to greet us every spring? I don't like admitting such lethargy. But on the upside, it's a call to change, a reminder to plant and grow. 

The problem is, we don't plant daffodils or tulips in the spring, when they're everywhere to remind us. We plant these bulbs during the harvest season. By then, we're more inclined to make applesauce than plant daffodils. But...if we want these glorious beauties to brighten our early spring...  

A time to plant, a time to grow, and a time to flourish. The same holds true for God's children. We all have seasons when we don't feel like we're growing in the

things of God. At those times, it's a struggle just to not lose ground. But if we keep planting the seeds of God's Word in our spirits, they will grow. We may not see the buds and flowers right away, but God promises His Word will become the wisdom we need for every challenge. 

"For as the rain comes down...and waters the earth, making it bring forth

 and bud...So shall My Word be...it shall accomplish what I please and it

 shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it" (Isaiah 55:10,11).

In October, could someone remind me it's the time to plant a dozen daffodils? I'm hoping by this time next year, people walking down the road can admire the

yellow flowers blooming beside my house. And maybe God will use them to encourage others to keep planting His word in their hearts.                   

Eight Weeks Later...

By now most of us would rather forget those New Year's resolutions we made eight weeks ago. Hopefully our friends and family have forgotten them too. Yet even though we struggle to make our goals a reality, we can't seem to let them go. So how can we make the next few weeks more productive? Yesterday, I was reminded of an obvious, but elusive element for progress. 

I woke before daylight and thought about my choices for the day. After praying, I decided not to make the two hour drive to a writer's conference. I had planned on going for weeks, but reluctantly let circumstances change my mind.

I can spend time at the library instead, I told myself. Then drive out, walk on the beach, and commune with God. The thought of an ocean breeze and discussing this year's writing projects with God, convinced me I'd made the right choice. 

Two cups of coffee later, the phone rang. I caught enough of my husband's conversation to know my plans were about to change. Soon we set out for an hour and a half drive in his truck. But not to gain inspiration for writing. He wanted me to help clean up a business rental for a client. The tenants moved   out and left the place a mess. Preempted again! 

We can resolve a thousand times to accomplish a goal, but until we make it a priority, it will never happen. That doesn't mean we can't help others or be spontaneous when an unexpected opportunity comes up. But when we truly prioritize our dreams from God, it keeps us from letting everything else push
them aside for weeks, months, or even years.

"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works , which

God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them" (Ephesians 2:10).   

We want to believe God has a specific plan for our life. Still we can't help but wonder, which causes us to wander from pursuing the reality of it. Even so, Jesus is the head of the body, the Church, and He has preeminence (Col. 1:18). Is that the truth and power we so easily misplace? The Lord's preeminence means He is first in rank and influence. 

Are we influenced by Him more than by anyone or anything else? 

As we learn to live a "yes" answer to that question more, our dreams from 
the Lord will get preempted less. By doing and enjoying those good works He created for us, we acknowledge Christ's preeminence in our lives.